Nine Swords

Ο Χορός της Ουσίας

My father used to say, “Thanasi, when you have nothing left, who will you be?” It seemed such a simple question, and I always thought he was just preaching. To be left with nothing seemed such an easy fate to avoid.

I was wrong. Fate is not a thing one can avoid, for fate is not some impersonal force into which one can stumble blindly. Fate is a hunter, and there is no quarry it will not find.

My name is Athanasios Vasiliou, and this is the story of who I am.

Mr. Jones Cafe, Thessaloniki
18 January 2012

Eleni Katramados always took her afternoon break outside, even on a day like today. A cold fog hung low over Thessaloniki, a common peril for a port city. Still, she found the cold exhilarating after working in the heat indoors. She stepped out into the street by the side entrance of the little cafe that employed her and breathed in the crisp air, letting her raven black hair fall down for a bit and shaking it loose. A smile crept across her lips as she sensed more than heard the breath catch of the young man standing a few feet away. She knew what power she had, and letting down her hair was meant as much for him as it was for her own comfort.

“Thanasi,” she began, speaking out to the street without bothering even to glance in the direction she had known he would be. “How is it that you are always here when it is time for my break?” They had played this game for a week and a half already, and she enjoyed it. She would vary her break times and yet there he would be. From other men it might bother her, but Thanasi was not other men. From him, she welcomed the attraction, enjoying the inevitable banter.

Thanasi stood up straight from where he had been leaning against the wall, allowing his hands to rest by his side as he spoke. “It is funny you should mention that, Eleni. I was just about to ask why you always seemed to plan your breaks for my regular afternoon constitutionals.”

Whirling, she turned her gaze on him finally, again enjoying the knowledge that the flow of her hair would shake his confidence. “Nice try,” she responded, watching as his right hand fidgeted very slightly, fighting the urge to straighten his hair. Oh he’s good. “But the boys tell me you get here one minute before my break every day, regardless of when I take it.”

Stepping forward, he spread his arms in a semi-shrug. “A coincidence, I am sure.” Smart, she thought. She knew this part of the dance as well, in which he stood closer to use his height, eye contact, and the shorter distance to disarm her. Eleni swore her heart skipped a beat whenever he did it, and it almost annoyed her that he could use such a tactic against her.

“It is 5:23!” she countered, stepping closer, poking him in the chest and looking away from his light brown eyes to remove his advantages. “That is not even a normal time.” The counter worked for the time.

Holding up his mobile, Thanasi responded, “It is 5:25 according to Vodaphone.”

Her advantages back, Eleni crossed her arms and responded reprovingly, “That isn’t the point.” Did he really have his mobile in his hand already?

“I desire to take you out tonight,” he said.

Dammit! she thought, as she felt the briefest flicker of surprise cross her face and knew that he had seen it too. “Well you’re feeling confident,” she replied, continuing the reproving look while she recovered.

“Of course I am confident,” he replied. Thank you, she thought. It was a shallow victory, for she knew he put on his false bravado as a predicted step in the dance. “I am Thanasi. All the ladies want to be with Thanasi, to be part of his clan.”

That was a lie. Ever since they had met at university last year, she had found herself explaining to her friends why she was friends with him. They found him fantastically egotistical. She enjoyed that, had found it both amusing and strangely comforting. He did not believe the things he said about himself, and this she also knew. What he was looking for was a certain type of woman, one who would join him in the dance and be his equal.

Oh, there was a certain arrogance to him to be sure. If she pressed him, she knew he would not deny it. In their mutual circle of friends, he was the smartest, at least among the men. He was also the best of them, knowing that he would be a poor fit for many of their female friends, and deflecting attention to his male friends. Of course, most of Eleni’s girlfriends would not have seen it as a deflection.

Eleni did.

Tilting her head to the side and balancing on one foot as though to tap the other, she parried, “Then why don’t you try them?” They both knew exactly why, but she wanted to hear it.

“I do not want all the ladies,” he replied. “Only you.” And there it is, she thought. Maybe that’s it. She had seen his other side, the one he actively prevented most women from seeing. He could be both self-effacing and disarmingly charming. It was often he who paid the tabs when no one else was looking, and he who made sure everyone was taken care of.

“Cute,” she replied, only half-sarcastically. “You want me? So you can treat me like your friend Dimitri would?” It was not something she meant. She knew he and Dimitri were no more alike than a cur and a lion. Still, she wanted to verify his opinion.

Thanasi immediately straightened up, his features becoming more serious, almost sad. “Dimitri is no longer my friend,” he began. “Not after what he did to Sophia.”

“Oh really?” She had hoped this would be the case.

“Yes!” he continued. “To break up with her because she’s ‘fat?’” She noticed that he intoned this word in such a way to indicate he clearly did not agree. “Sophia is adorable. If I were not interested in you, I would probably be interested in her.”

Eleni arched an eyebrow. She did not take offense at it, but it was fun to let him swing for a bit.

“That...sounded more complimentary in my head,” he continued sheepishly.

Eleni turned her back both so she could smile at his discomfort and to let him sweat a little more. It worked for a moment.

“Let me take you out for a birthday celebration,” Thanasi added, almost sounding desperate.

Unprepared for this, Eleni spun around and responded, “It’s not my birthday.”

“But it is mine,” he answered smoothly, knowing he had regained his ground. Oh, well-played K. Vasiliou....

Eleni narrowed her eyes and held out her hand. “License,” she said, twitching her fingers in the universal give-it-here motion. She was only partly surprised that he had it immediately ready. Bastard, she thought. He even planned that?

“Cafe Alfa,” he said, pressing the license into her palm. “I will meet you here at 10:30.”

Eleni gave it a quick review: 18 January 1986. Feigning annoyance at his small victory, she returned the license to him and then pushed back, “I work at a cafe!”

“You do not want to go on a date at your work.”

By not denying him outright, they had entered the endgame. Eleni knew it, but the game was too much fun for her to let it end easily. “Who said anything about a date?” she pressed, not actually wanting him to answer. “Besides, it is Wednesday.”

“You do not work tomorrow,” he retorted, stepping closer yet again. Damn you, Eleni, why can’t you be 1.8 meters tall too?

“Because I have class,” she replied, as though listing a fact off a review sheet they were both reading from.

“At noon.”

She had known he would know. “It is a long walk for me.”

“Not from my place.”

This genuinely did surprise her and she used it to her advantage again. “Oh, you are feeling confident, K. Vasiliou!”

“I assure you, Ka. Katramados, that I am a gentleman. I would sleep on my couch.” He paused for a moment as she looked away, thinking over his suggestion. Then he stepped closer, standing nearly toe-to-toe with her. Reaching his hand up, he lifted her chin to restore eye contact. “Have I ever given you cause for discomfort?”

Touching her had been his boldest move of the encounter. Eleni could have let it blow up in his face, but that would be to deny what she wanted. “Fine, Thanasi,” she finally answered. “Meet me at 10:35 at Cafe Alfa. At 10:36, I’m in a taxi for home.”

Thanasi smiled and for a few moments more looked into her green eyes, as captivated by them as she was by his. Finally, he stepped back and bowed elaborately. “I shall see you at 10:35, Kyria.”

Cafe Alfa, Thessaloniki
10:34 PM

As Eleni arrived at Cafe Alfa, she was finally starting to feel the chill. The temperature had dropped to four degrees, so she was glad that she had put Thanasi on a strict deadline. Her watch beeped 10:35, and she let out a deep breath.

“Good evening, Eleni,” a voice said behind her.

Having suspected he would do something like this, she did not give him the satisfaction of jumping or immediately turning. “You are ridiculous, you know that?”

His voice was very close behind her as he said, “How so?” and slipped a jacket over her shoulders.

Although she was already wearing a jacket, she welcomed the extra layer. “My watch beeps 10:35,” she began before turning, “and you are suddenly here.”

“It is actually 10:37 according to my phone,” he replied, smirking and holding up his mobile again. “I have been living in the future around the corner for two minutes.”

Eleni rolled her eyes though she admired the description. She paused briefly, realizing they were standing very close to one another but unsure what she wanted to do about that. “I’ve changed my mind.”

“Oh?” he replied, staring into her eyes. Stop that! I am trying to think.

“I don’t want coffee,” she responded, turning away. She felt as though pulling her gaze away when he did that was like trying to pull a car by a chain clasped between her teeth. For all her banter, she knew she was quite taken with him. “But you may walk me home.”

Thanasi hesitated before answering, as she knew he would. “Don’t you live way up in Stavroupoli?” The dance was back on, and she knew the steps again.

“Why K. Vasiliou,” she began, turning suddenly and fluttering her eyelashes. “Is that a no?” The flutter was exactly the amount of overkill she desired. Much like one who brings a shotgun to a knife fight, she had him where she wanted.

“Do I look so foolish?” he responded flatly, still amusingly off-balance. “No, if it is your desire, I will gladly walk you home. I would simply point out it is very cold and suggest my home is only a kilometer and a half away, here in Salonika.”

Eleni both crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow at him. “Still feeling bold, I see?”

“Your beauty emboldens me,” he replied, stepping back for a moment and bowing dramatically again.

Stepping forward, Eleni pressed her fist to his chest. “If you get too bold, I will harm you,” she said. It was unnecessary, she knew. Thanasi was still a man, but he would wait for her. She let her feigned warning scowl settle on him for a few moments before something else caught her attention. “Are you...wearing a sports coat?”

Although he obviously knew what he was wearing, Thanasi looked down at the dark red sports coat he wore to match his button-up collarless black shirt. “What of it?”

Eleni tilted her head to the side as she looked up at him. “Nikos told me you were going to the Greek Cup match tonight, PAOK against AEK.” Thanasi shook his head affirmatively. “You wore a sports coat to the football match?”

“No.”

She narrowed her eyes while doing the mental math. Toumba Stadium was a forty minute walk, and Thanasi lived fifteen minutes in the opposite direction, but full time had only been whistled half an hour ago. Giving up, she gave him a playful shove and turned to walk toward his apartment. “Nevermind! You are ridiculous.”

“Would you have me any other way?” he replied, quickly stepping to her side and extending his arm for her.

Eleni took it willingly, both for the sensual pleasure of the contact and the heat she desired. “Need I remind you, K. Vasiliou, that I have not had you?”

“All things in due time, Kyria."

Ayiou Dimitriou, Thessaloniki
10:49 PM

They walked northward through the darkness arm and arm as friends and lovers, conversing, bantering, and laughing toward Thanasi’s home near the church of Ayiou Dimitriou. It was a modern edifice standing upon ancient foundations, and Thanasi lived just two blocks past it. He had made this walk from the university past the sacred site many times, but never before had he done so with an audience.

As they walked by the imposing structure, Thanasi stopped, frowning and listening. “What?” Eleni asked. Few dared to commit a crime within feet of the church of Thessaloniki’s patron saint, so she was not afraid. She was simply curious as to what had made him stop so suddenly.

“Listen, Eleni,” Thanasi replied, turning to look toward the park across the street. “Do you hear that?”

Eleni quieted and listened, but, try as she may, she could hear nothing save the distant sounds of light evening traffic. “I hear nothing, Thanasi. What is it?”

“Buzzing. Like...bees.”

She arched an eyebrow at him and tried to pull him onward to his home. The cold was causing her to ache and she desperately wanted to be warm again. “It’s January, Thanasi,” she urged. “And it is dark. There are no bees out. Now come. We are almost there.”

Thanasi continued to stare into the park even as she tugged on his arm. Finally, he looked at her and said, “Indulge me, Eleni. Let us cross here for a moment. Afterward, I promise you we will hurry home.” Eleni, frowned but eventually shook her head in affirmation. Having first met him in an academic context, she knew how hard it was to dissuade him or distract him when once he set his mind to a puzzle.

Given the time of night, they crossed with ease, never noticing the man following them out of the church. As they neared the park, Thanasi cringed and looked around almost wildly. “I can hear them so loud...but I do not see them,” he said, loosening his grip on her arms as they reached the opposite sidewalk. “Do you still not hear them?” he asked, looking back. Eleni nodded negatively but said nothing. “I don’t under—”

Eleni jumped as Thanasi suddenly started to choke and cough. Running closer, she exclaimed, “Thanasi? What happened? Are you okay?” She pressed her hand on his back and gave him a few swift pats, hoping it might stop the choking. Slowly, Thanasi, having fallen to his knees, stopped coughing and began merely to hyperventilate. “What is it, Thanasi? Please calm down and breathe slowly!”

He closed his eyes, tears ringing them from his sudden fit, and slowly regained his equilibrium. “I think...I swallowed...a bee.... I can still...hear them....”

Eleni looked around nervously, but still could neither hear nor see any bees. “Are you allergic, Thanasi?” she asked as she began to rifle through her purse.

“I do not know,” he replied, shakily standing once again. “I have never been stu—AAA!” Thanasi’s head jerked back and his body began to convulse as though wracked with spasms.

Finding what she had been looking for in her purse, Eleni wrestled Thanasi to the ground, pulled the cap from what looked like a pen, and stabbed him in the thigh with it. Remarkably, he stopped convulsing immediately, but roared with pain at the stabbing.

“OWW!” he shouted. “What was that for?”

Eleni held up the used epi-pen. “I am allergic to bees, so I always carry this with me. You seemed to be having...well, the worst reaction I have ever seen.”

“Those things really hurt!” he whispered back, trying to control how whiny he suspected he sounded while at the same time focusing his eyes on something behind her.

“Oh, Kori,” an older man in clerical vestments said. “I wish you would not have done that.”

Eleni turned so fast she nearly fell over at the sound of the voice. “What?” She took a moment to analyze the figure standing before her, recognizing him as a presbyter of some sort. “Why not, Reverend?”

As though in response, Thanasi began to convulse once more, but this time he seemed also to burn with blue fire. The flame pulsed up and down his body, from his eyes, from his mouth, and he screamed in horrific agony.

“Run, Kori!” the presbyter ordered as he seemed to focus blue fire of his own from his icon toward Thanasi.

Eleni watched in ever deepening horror as a translucent blue globe began to form around Thanasi even as he wracked and burned and shrieked. She could hear the presbyter repeating his command to run, but she found herself transfixed by the sight, unable to leave her friend.

The presbyter’s eyes darted from his icon to the girl and back. It was a mistake and he knew it as soon as he saw the bubble start to flicker. He could handle what was about to happen, but the girl would not survive it. Closing his eyes in prayer, he shifted the bubble to Eleni.

She had but a moment to realize she had been encircled when the world exploded in a cascade of blue flame around it. When the smoke cleared and she blinked away the images, she saw Thanasi lying in a crumpled heap before her. The presbyter lay some twenty meters distant, having taken the brunt of the blast.

Frantically, Eleni crawled to Thanasi and pushed him on to his back. He was still breathing. “Thanasi?” she cried out. “Thanasi! Can you hear me?”

Light brown eyes opened, looking faintly out at her. “E...leni...?” he whispered weakly.

“I am here, Thanasi,” she replied, cradling his head to her body. “I am here.”

His hands reached up to touch her face. “I’m sorry...” he whispered. “I’m sorry, my friend....”

“I don’t understand,” she answered. “I don’t understand!” Hot tears streamed down her face and on to his, but she paid them no attention.

“I’m sorry...” he whispered once more. “Eleni....”

Feeling the slight pull of his hand against her face, she drew closer. “I am here, Thanasi.”

“Eleni,” he began again weakly. “I...love you.”

He thinks he’s dying! Overcome by the thought, she let him pull her close, pressing her lips firmly against his as she kissed him and embraced him with all her strength, not cognizant of the blue flame that now wreathed them both. Faintly, from a million miles away, she heard someone yelling, “No!” but nothing else mattered to her then. A moment later, she pulled her lips away long enough to answer, “I love you, Thanasi.”

As Eleni pressed her lips again to Thanasi’s, her world turned blue.

Then all turned black.

End Chapter One